New Convention Center Hotel in Des Moines Open for Business

DES MOINES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Weitz Company turned over the 330-room Hilton
Des Moines Downtown to Polk County on Wednesday, ending Des Moines’
10-plus-year wait for a new convention center hotel.

The milestone was celebrated with a public ribbon cutting early in the
day followed by a grand opening event in the evening.

“We are immensely proud to bring this much anticipated facility to the
Des Moines community,” said Mike Tousley, executive vice president and
general manager of The Weitz Company. “It’s an impressive hotel with
first-class features and amenities. Our project team and trade partners
need to be commended for ushering this project to reality.”

Reaching this pinnacle did not come without its challenges. But in early
2015, a pivotal meeting between The Weitz Company, Polk County and City
of Des Moines produced the framework for a uniquely innovative financial
solution that would send the $101 million project on its rightful path.

A public-private partnership was formed. Weitz would lease land and
borrow funds to serve as the developer as well as the design-builder.
Polk County and the City of Des Moines established the non-profit Iowa
Events Center Hotel Corp. to create a lease-purchase agreement for the
hotel property after construction completed. Hilton Hotels & Resorts
became the final piece of the puzzle when selected to manage and operate
the four-star facility.

Originally planned for completion on March 31, delivering the new Hilton
Des Moines Downtown 10 days ahead of schedule is noteworthy but it is
not what made The Weitz Company’s construction of the hotel significant.
It was innovation and the extreme amount of prefabrication Weitz
utilized to build the 322,000-square-foot facility that has gained
notoriety.

Sparked by the idea of prefabricating 300 of the 330 bathrooms, Weitz
implemented a purpose-built approach to save time, reduce construction
waste and improve safety and quality. This created a series of modular
build strategies that local subcontractors such as The Waldinger
Corporation and Baker Electric embraced to complement the bathrooms,
which were manufactured by Pivotek at an off-site facility in West
Chester, Ohio.

“It boiled down to creating a Lean workflow that would positively shape
the construction experience for project stakeholders,” said The Weitz
Company Project Manager Ben Bunge. “There were 12 modular building
components on this project, but it all revolved around the prefabricated
bathrooms. They were the focal point of the entire strategy because they
represented the path most integrated and critical to the project’s tower
schedule.”

There is no denying, though, the most valued benefit of prefabricating
on this project was enabling Hilton to welcome its first guest on the
same day The Weitz Company turned over the building.

“Our goal since starting construction two years ago was aimed at
ensuring the hotel’s doors could be opened to guests as early as
possible,” Tousley said. “After waiting more than a decade, Polk County
and Des Moines deserved to experience this moment sooner rather than
later.”

About The Weitz CompanyFounded in 1855, The Weitz Company
is a national, full-service general contractor, design-builder and
construction manager that serves all 50 U.S. states. Weitz is the sixth
oldest Architecture/Engineering/Construction firm in the United States
and an industry leader in lean construction; senior living; sustainable
building; and virtual design and construction. Headquartered in Des
Moines, Iowa, The Weitz Company annually ranks in the top tier of
Engineering News-Record’s Top 400 Contractors and Building
Design+Construction’s Giants 300 Contractors lists.